TV Commercial

[George Jung]

I just saw a Donate Life tv commercial.  A 30 second spot with a guy talking about his kidney transplant and a bit about dialysis.  It was a good commercial, inspiring people to give the gift of life.      

[KT0930]

Awesome, George! What network was it on, do you know?

[George Jung]

Awesome, George! What network was it on, do you know?

I was so excited I forgot to say.  WRAL TV5 here in Raleigh, NC.

[Romona]

They have been running some here using local people telling their stories. I have noticed the commercials during the noon news broadcasts.

[Ohio Buckeye]

I haven't seen any here but that is great to hear.

[paris]

There are also 2 large  billboards in Raleigh for Donate Life. 

[goofynina]

Problem is people seem to ignore it, either drive right by the billboard or get up and go to the bathroom during the commercials.  Yes, it is a huge step in the right direction and if it can get at least one person to donate, that is great too, but i think it will take more than just a commercial and or a billboard to get these people all the facts about organ donation.  Just my 

[paris]

You are absolutely right!  There isn't much that is going to change the general publics view on donation.  I think they just don't give it a second thought, even when it effects their family.  Not sure what the answer is.  There are so many causes that people fight for---ours seems low on the list to everyone but us!

[angela515]

I've already seen them here too.

[George Jung]

Problem is ...

Sorry but there is no "problem".  There is not anything anyone can do that will have people waking up tomorrow morning thinking about donating.  This is how it starts though....a few 30 second spots on the noon news and a billboard here and there, eventually it will become part of everyday life, just like the pink ribbon has.  I, you, we, also can not just sit around and wait for the public to look for another cause to be a part of, we have to show them this cause and why it is so important.  I for one want to make some noise, it is the least I can do.  As soon as I saw the commercial I e-mailed the station and congratulated them and offered myself as a story if they are ever interested.

I have to ask, if not tv commercials and billboards then what?  What do you suggest we do?

[Lori1851]

Good idea George!!! I will be looking for a commercial like that here in Indiana. The public needs to see others than celebrities that have kidney issues . Not just the rich and famous.

Lori/Indiana

[kimcanada]

I have never , not even once seen a commerical on TV about "Donate Life" I think it would be a great way to start teaching people what we have.

[petey]

George -- I'm with you!  Let's keep telling our stories every time we get the chance.  Marvin and I "talk" organ donation awareness everywhere we go.  People may get sick of hearing it, but that's tough sh-t.  If they don't want to hear it, they don't have to listen (which is a choice that Marvin and all of the others waiting on the transplant list don't get -- i.e., if you don't want ESRD, you don't get the choice to turn it down).  I've seen the commercial and the billboards -- they're great, and I wish there were more.

[goofynina]

Problem is ...

Sorry but there is no "problem". There is not anything anyone can do that will have people waking up tomorrow morning thinking about donating. This is how it starts though....a few 30 second spots on the noon news and a billboard here and there, eventually it will become part of everyday life, just like the pink ribbon has. I, you, we, also can not just sit around and wait for the public to look for another cause to be a part of, we have to show them this cause and why it is so important. I for one want to make some noise, it is the least I can do. As soon as I saw the commercial I e-mailed the station and congratulated them and offered myself as a story if they are ever interested.

I have to ask, if not tv commercials and billboards then what? What do you suggest we do?

No problem?? YATHINK??  Come on, family members have ignored their ill family members plea for an organ and they just find a way to play stupid and ignore the fact that its happening, either that or they are really that ignorant!!!  I'm not saying do not make "noise" i think it is great how you have now become an advocate for the kidney community, Kudos to you George, i was simply stating my  as i saw it, sorry if you dont agree thats just how i see it.  And as for what we can do, just as you and Petey say, talk about it, but you have to make sure your talking to someone who actually wants to listen.  Good Luck to you my friend. 

[George Jung]

No problem?? YATHINK??

I know that there is a problem with awareness, who in our community doesn't know that.  What I was saying is that you say the "problem is" re: the commercials...... and I just don't don't see commercials and billboards (however few woke up this morning thinking about them) as a part of the problem, I see them in a very positive light.  Ya gotta start somewhere and recognizing the need seems like a pretty good place to me.

[paris]

I think a point of view can be affected by how long one has been dealing with this disease.  If you are in the first year of two, I think hope is still fresh. After year 8,10,15 with no transplant available or after many complicatons from dialysis, your view becomes extremely realistic.  We all still have hope we will receive a kidney, but the reality becomes more and more apparent.  We talk to family and friends, but after awhile, the words fall on deaf ears.  I wear the green bracelet, the green ribbon pin, maget on my car for Donate Life, my son raises money through his race club for Donate Life, my daughter volunteers with the Kidney Foundation.   We are not standing by the side letting others do the work, but we , as a family, are now more educated to the facts.  So, I am in favor of anything that brings donatation information to the public's attention.  Hopefully, one day it will make a difference.   Until that time, I don't want to forget to live the best life I can right now.  I don't want to be consummed by constantly trying to educate or enlighten everyone.  I know how that must sound.  I just need to live and enjoy where I am at today.  I am pro-active in finding a solution to my problem but I am also extremely active in keeping me centered and happy.  This is my life and no one cares about it as much as I do.   I will keep trying to help inform people, but I won't forget to live in the meantime.

[stauffenberg]

I was once in a group of people talking to the director of one of the most famous institutions in the United States for the treatment of diabetes.  Someone asked him why there was so little advertizing to collect donations to support research for a cure, and he replied that all diabetes advertizing efforts up to then had always cost more money to undertake than they had collected in donations.  If people don't even care enough about the medical suffering of other people to respond to ads and donate money to cure it, they are not likely to respond to ads asking them to do much more, such as arrange for the posthumous donation of their organs.

Does anyone remember George Bush I's "thousand points of light" campaign, which was supposed to allow the government to stop taxing rich people like him and his family and instead rely on voluntary donations from people to pay for social program costs?  Of course nothing came of it, because unless the government forces people to be generous, they will not be.  That is why the waiting list for a kidney transplant is extremely low or almost non-existent in countries where the government simply confiscates cadaver organs for transplant unless the deceased has already expressed a desire not to donate, and also why the waiting list is long everywhere the government tries to rely on "awareness raising" campaigns to turn people into the generous type of creatures they are not and never will be.

[petey]

For Marvin and me, our hope is still fresh that he will get a transplant -- even after 13 years and lots and lots of surgeries and lots and lots of ESRD-related problems.  However, we were very realistic from Day #1, too. Our motto is, "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."  We are prepared to live 30+ MORE years with diaylsis, but we hope he gets his transplant tomorrow.

We think sharing his story may -- perhaps -- increase the donors, even if it's just by one person.  Not only do we care about Marvin's life and Marvin's struggle, but we want to do something to help the future dialysis-need-a-transplant people who will come after Marvin and who will one day walk the same path he's walking now.

But, like paris, we're also centered on living a good, happy, full, productive live (ESRD, dialysis, and all).  That, to us, is the most important thing of all!

[KT0930]

Creating awareness in those around us is the first step, as so many of us are trying to do by simply talking about it. Unfortunately, while I was on dialysis, because of my schedule, that was truly all I had time for. Once I'm recovered enough from my transplant to be around people again, I'm going to contact Donate Life of Georgia and see what kinds of things they do that I can help with.

Unfortunately, everyone has their own cause that they want people to be aware of, and will usually see other causes as being in competition with theirs for funding, research, and support. How many of us are sick of seeing pink ribbons and would love, just once, to see a green ribbon on a can of Campbell's soup? Our cause has one advantage that many others don't...people can make the largest contribution to our cause after their death. The problem is getting them to talk about it and see that in a good light instead of seeing it as a conversation about death. At that point, I try to point out that it's not a conversation about the end of their life, it's a conversation about the beginning of up to 8 others.

[paris]

I am usually one of the most positive people around------just grumpy right now.  I'll be Susie Sunshine again, but there are times it seems like everything is uphill.  As I posted earlier, my family does many things to help promote donation and I am proud of them.  At this time, none of them are able to donate.  Reality is hard sometimes.    I bought a box of pasta the other day and there it sat----a pink box of zita sponsering breast cancer awareness.  But, I can't say anything around my family about it since breast cancer has effected our family so much.  I am like Katie; I just want to see green ribbons on products.      Sorry for my low spirit. Hmmmm, any chocolate around? Maybe that would help??

[kimcanada]

Oh My God

I can't believe that there is others that have issues with the pink ribbon, my aunt has been battling breast Cancer for 2 years now, and even when I have the thought of overkill on the pink ribbon thing I feel guilt...  the other day on TV there was a commerical about the "Walk For Life" and they had ghosts walking with people at the walk.  I was pissed, if anyone did that it would be cast in poor taste, man o man the donate life people need to hire that marketing firm.

[George Jung]

In order to make the changes necessary to give relief (or hope for relief at least) to the ever growing list people need to be educated and accepting that there is a problem.  Awareness in any form will grow from this time time onward, hopefully in a manner similar to the pink ribbon.  It took time and alot of affected people before that box of ziti made it onto the grocery store shelf, why would this be any different.  I don't care how long I am waiting for a transplant I will still have hope even if not for myself. 

I realize that family members stick their heads in the sand and ignore what we go through.  Here is an idea....if kidney disease awareness were to reach a point that say cancer has and people are doing 5k's and all good stuff maybe family members would have an easier time talking about it.  It is kinda like when two friends don't talk for a while, time passes and time passes and then it get to a point when it is awkward to talk.  "The ice has gotten thick", so to speak and if the friends continue not to talk eventually the ice will be so thick it will become unbreakable.  BUT, if there is conversation, continuously the ice never has a chance to form and it remains very easy to communicate.  The more we talk about kidney disease, renal failure, all treatments and the possibilities the easier it will be for people to accept it.  True, my family may not ever get to that point but I defiantly hope to make life better for the next generation.  I would like to leave this world knowing that I tried to make it a better place. 

If body wants my two cents, there it is.  That's my   

[petey]

George, you're thinking like I'm thinking.

[angela515]

I buy yogurt alot, sometimes they have the pink ribbons and some don't and same with batteries.. some have pink batteries, some don't.. to be honest, i know what the pink ribbon is, but it don't affect my buying and I don't purposely buy the one with pink, and I make this point to say i'm sure this is how many people think when they see things supporting certain things on advertisement, and it's just an everyday part of life for most people. However, I don't think it hurts one bit to advertise and I think we should do so especially for our own prob ESRD. I think me being sheltered with such a loving supportive family that understand my ESRD just as if it were them, that makes my mindset not really think towards outside the box.. I dont know though.. it could i'm just trying to live a normal life and I just don't try to think about diseased every single day in everything I do.

[paris]

As I posted earlier, I have a family full of volunteers.  They raise money and awareness for Donate Life and Kidney Foundation.  They also do volunteer work for HIV/Aids awareness. None of us sit on the sidelines waiting for others to make a difference.   The difference with ESRD and donation awareness, as I see it, vs. cancer; it is easy for a person to do a 5K, wear pink,etc.  To be a living donor is much harder and involves a whole system of insurance companies and doctors.  If we could make it mandatory to donate organs when we die, that would make a real difference.  Maybe more energy needs to be directed to our laws. I am all for putting information in front of everyone we meet.  Right now, I just can't talk about it to every person I am around.  I still want to be me; not the disease.  I am more than that.   I think we all want to make things better for the next generation. As a parent, that was my whole goal in raising my children--for them to have a better life.    Our family has faced many challenges the past 4 years and my disease is not the worst of the challenges.   I have written my share of letters to senators, tv stations, talk shows; so I am working on the fight for awareness.  In the meantime, I want to be a positive, happy person.   As my divorced daughter said to me," I don't want to be remembered as a great "single" mom---I just want to be remembered as a great mom".   So, I think I want to be the best person I can be and not just identifyed as a disease.   I am rambling----it is frustrating that there isn't more awareness.  I am trying to be part of the answer--just not everyday.